1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus for sending data to an output apparatus such as a printer connected through a bilateral interface, and an output apparatus for receiving data from an information processing apparatus such as a host computer and outputs data in accordance with the input data.
2. Related Background Art
In a recent recording apparatus of this type, output information inputted from a host computer is analyzed to develop bit map data as an output data of a printer engine such as a laser beam printer, and a laser beam modulated in accordance with the developed data is scanned and exposed to a photo-conductor drum to record an image.
A recording apparatus which can output data WYSIWYG-processed (What You See Is What You Get) by a host computer in accordance with page edit data has also been put into practice.
In this case, the recording apparatus may be of a type which develops the bit map data WYSIWYG-processed by the host computer to a bit map memory to output it, or a type which receives data to be rasterized from the host computer, generates output bit map data by a rasterization function of the recording apparatus and develops it in the bit map memory for outputting it.
In the prior art recording apparatus of the type which develops the bit map data WYSIWYG-processed by the host computer to the bit map for outputting it, a time from the start of the bit map development of the output information by the host computer to the start of printing by the printer engine is determined by a rasterization time of the host computer.
Further, in the type which receives the data to be rasterized from the host computer, generates the output bit map data by the rasterization function of the recording apparatus and develops it to the bit map memory for outputting it, the time required for the host computer to transfer the output information to the printer is short but the rasterization time of the recording apparatus itself is long so that information received out of image writing synchronization with the printer engine cannot be correctly recorded.
In the recording apparatus in the field of DTP for page editing by fully utilizing graphics, images and outline font, a demand to shorten the outputting time has been increasing and improvements of a printer control method and a printer control system to meet such a demand has been desired.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an information processing apparatus for grasping a capability of a printer connected thereto through a bilateral interface and determining a ratio of share to output data, and an output apparatus for processing data in accordance with the ratio information of the share to the data processing received from the information processing apparatus connected thereto through the bilateral interface.
In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides an information processing apparatus comprising acquiring means for acquiring resource information of a printer connected through a bilateral interface, and determination means for determining a ratio of share to rasterization of information in the data outputted to the printer, to be shared by a rasterizer in the printer.
Further, in order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides an output apparatus comprising receiving means for receiving ratio information of share to rasterize rasterization information in data outputted from an information processing apparatus connected through a bilateral interface, and control means for causing a rasterizer to rasterize the information in accordance with the ratio of share of the rasterization.
Accordingly, the information processing apparatus and the output apparatus can render uniform the resources and the share of the processing capabilities so that a higher processing performance and an efficient operation of the resources are attained.